Thursday, August 10, 2017

Weakness of Regional Media in Russia Allowing West to Promote Separatism, Kholmogorov Says

Paul
Goble

Staunton, August 9 – Western information
projects directed at Russia have little impact on the residents of the capital
or the country as a whole, Yegor Kholmogorov says; but they are often extremely
effective in regions where the local media are so poorly developed that people
turn to Western “voices” and become infected with separatism as a result.

Western radio stations like Voice of
America and Radio Liberty, whose funding the US is now increasing, the Russian
commentator says, have always promoted various “separatist” ideas in Russian
regions such as Idel-Ural, “a mythological construction” but listed in the
Captive Nations Week law, the Russian commentator says (nakanune.ru/articles/113150/).

Now, these outlets promote their
ideas “via Facebook and other social networks and in the future there will
appear a whole range of similar projects directed already at the Caucasus, the
Finno-Ugric regions, Siberia and the Far East,” all of which will seek to
promote “separate regional sovereign units” within the borders of the Russian
Federation.

“The danger,” Kholmogorov says, “is
that [Russia’s] regional media are underdeveloped.” They are tightly controlled
by local officials and do not feature the kind of discussions which attract
people. Because they are boring, people in many regions are quite ready to turn
to “’Western voices’” and are infected by separatist values.

Russia must and can oppose this,
first and foremost by developing “independent regional media” that can hold
their own against these “voices.” That is already the case at the all-Russian
level and as a result, these Western projects have little influence at the
center or for the country as a whole. But that isn’t the case in the regions.

In some regions, the media are doing
a good job; and where they are developed, the West’s ability to influence the situation
is very limited. But in others, the media are weak, people aren’t attracted to
it, and many turn to Western outlets, especially online, to get news and
information without recognizing the ideology that comes along with these
things.

Consequently, Kholmogorov says,
Moscow has a vital interest in promoting strong and flourishing regional media;
but until that goal is achieved, the center needs to ban and “if necessary
block” Western channels directed at particular regions.Where these are effective, they need to be
stopped “without ceremony.”